The Source: Broadband In America | The School-To-Prison Pipeline

The United States internet service providers are charging more money for less broadband access according to a report from the New America Foundation. Can the country continue to foster innovation as the country falls behind in access?

Joining us to talk about this is Danielle Kehl, an author of that report for New America Foundation, and Richard Bennett, internet policy fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, who argues the country's expansive geography skews these access issues, and that the country is closing the gap.

In the second segment:

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Last week the U.S. Education and Justice departments released recommendations urging school districts to show restraint in school discipline practices -- practices that see students suspended and expelled in ineffective and inequitable ways, according to a growing body of research.

The administration is calling for more coaching and other methods to prevent the school-to-prison pipeline.

Texas has been a hotbed of conversation on this topic, with school districts being sued over ticketing students. Further, one widely cited study, which was conducted by the Texas A&M Public Policy Research Institute, documented that 60 percent of all students are disciplined through suspension and expulsion between 7th and 12th grades.

The report showed a racial component in how these punishments are handed out in Texas schools. It also shows that students punished this way are often more likely to end up referred to juvenile justice and more likely to be held back in school.

Does Texas encourage a school-to-prison pipeline?

We talk with Deborah Fowler, deputy director of Texas Appleseed, who has long advocated against these types of policies and practices. Also joining us is Trey Marchbanks, statistician for Texas A&M Public Policy Research Center.

*The Source airs at 3 p.m. on KSTX 89.1 FM - audio from this show will be posted by 5:30 p.m.